{"id":45563,"date":"2025-09-26T23:20:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T23:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/45563\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T23:20:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T23:20:12","slug":"ive-got-a-bone-to-pick-with-getting-credit-from-your-fitness-tracker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/45563\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve got a bone to pick with \u2018getting credit\u2019 from your fitness tracker"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is Optimizer<\/a>, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song<\/a> that dissects and discusses the latest phones, smartwatches, apps, and other gizmos that swear they\u2019re going to change your life. Optimizer arrives in our subscribers\u2019 inboxes at 10AM ET. Opt in for Optimizer here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be the first person to admit that fitness trackers can be helpful tools. But I\u2019ve also written extensively about how they can unintentionally hurt your health. Streaks and oversimplified fitness gamification are often misguided<\/a>, anxiety-inducing features<\/a>. I\u2019ll probably go blue in the face ranting about how wellness and medical features are not the same thing<\/a>. Lately, I\u2019ve been concerned with a phrase I keep hearing from consumers and company reps alike: \u201cgetting credit.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a hearty Fourth of July feast, my in-laws suggested a \u201cfamily fart walk\u201d to unleash our digestive demons. Given that our pants were about to split and there was still peach cobbler waiting in the fridge, the idea was enthusiastically received by all. But when we were out the door, my sister-in-law paused. Her Apple Watch was out of juice. \u201cDamn,\u201d she said, \u201cNow I won\u2019t get credit.\u201d My eye twitched.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, at a Google Pixel Watch 4<\/a> briefing, I heard the phrase again. This year, Google expanded automatic activity tracking precisely because it received feedback that people \u201cwanted credit\u201d for workouts they had forgotten to track. And now that we\u2019re in the thick of product launch season, I can\u2019t stop hearing it. Of course, people want credit, I\u2019m told. Workouts, naps, steps, heart rate accuracy, sleep stages \u2014 if it can be quantified, people want credit for it.<\/p>\n

During the few months I was part of a run club, I heard many iterations of: If my Garmin doesn\u2019t track it, it doesn\u2019t count. If it\u2019s not on Strava, did it actually happen?<\/p>\n

I understand the impulse. Exercise sucks. Who doesn\u2019t want a pat on the head for doing the Hard Thing? Trust me. I\u2019ve turned heads in public for letting out a string of expletives whenever a smartwatch fails to correctly log a five-mile test run. Are you kidding me, I have to do it again?! What do you mean this walk didn\u2019t contribute to closing my Exercise ring? Did the 45 minutes I spent ambulating around this godforsaken strip mall mean nothing to you, you overly expensive wrist brick? How dare this five-thousand-dollar smart mattress cover<\/a> not give me credit for this luxurious afternoon nap as I attempt to fix this cross-country jet lag?<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/a><\/p>\n

The number of times I\u2019ve crashed out over a Garmin telling me my workout is \u2018unproductive.\u2019 But why should that matter? Photo by Victoria Song \/ The Verge<\/p>\n

Seeing it all typed out, surely we can all recognize how ridiculous this sounds. Yes, it would be annoying if a smartwatch or fitness tracker repeatedly failed to accurately record your data. But fixating on that misses the bigger picture. Fitness trackers are tools meant to help you measure progress as you work toward health goals. But the only \u201ctracker\u201d that really matters is your body \u2014 and it never fails to record an activity.<\/p>\n

Remembering that can be difficult, and that\u2019s sort of by design. In recent years, fitness trackers have added scores to make disparate data points more digestible. Scores are easier to understand than seemingly random metrics. But psychologically, I\u2019ve found they often trick my brain into thinking I\u2019m back at school trying to pass a test. My workouts (and other metrics) become weekly homework assignments that I must do well on lest I fail. So when I don\u2019t optimally manage my smartwatch\u2019s battery before a workout, or if my Oura Ring doesn\u2019t have enough juice for a night of sleep tracking, I find myself delaying a run or pushing off bedtime just so I can get credit.<\/p>\n

Companies want their devices to be addictive. It means you\u2019re more likely to stick with them. But if you\u2019re not careful, you may find you\u2019ve lost sight of the original goal \u2014 improving your health \u2014 in favor of chasing streaks and \u201cgetting credit.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing inherently wrong with feeling frustrated if you occasionally forget to log an exercise. But there is a thin line between helpful monitoring, and the obsessive, darker side of wearable tech<\/a>. One study found that smartwatches sparked anxiety in atrial fibrillation patients<\/a>, where one participant performed 916 EKGs over a 1-year period. In 2023, researchers put out a call for further empirical investigation<\/a> into the health risks of wearable tech, including mental disorders and maladaptive health behaviors like overexercise, noting that \u201cevidence of efficacy does not mean an absence of harm.\u201d In recent years, there\u2019s been an increasing<\/a> number of<\/a> reports<\/a> delving<\/a> into how using wearable tech can trigger health anxiety and paranoia.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t meant to be a finger-wagging lecture. I\u2019ve yet to meet a fitness tracking devotee who hasn\u2019t gotten a little too obsessed with metrics at one point or another. The trick is to notice this kind of thought and behavioral pattern as a warning sign that you may be developing obsessive tendencies. Once noticed, you can hit the reset button and redirect.<\/p>\n

\"There\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a point where you can find yourself thinking obsessively about tracking and logging. Those are moments to notice, and then reset your mindset. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales \/ The Verge<\/p>\n

For example, whenever I find myself annoyed about \u201cnot getting credit,\u201d it\u2019s an immediate signal that I need to take a 24 to 72-hour wearable break without pausing my training schedule. That means \u2014 gasp \u2014 going on runs, walks, and other activities without tracking it digitally. It\u2019s always an unpleasant feeling. I hate looking at my double watch tan lines. I feel naked. In the lead-up to a tracker-free workout, I often have to wrestle with feelings that I\u2019ve \u201cfailed.\u201d The irony is, I almost always enjoy these wearable-free workouts.<\/p>\n

Facing that initial discomfort is the point. For me, it\u2019s a regular reminder that the reason why I run isn\u2019t to be faster, break PRs, or collect medals. I do it because it clears my head, helps me manage my anxiety, and is proof that I\u2019m capable of doing hard things. After an unrecorded run, I\u2019ve noticed that when I go back to my trackers, I stop apologizing for my \u201cslowness\u201d in Strava notes. I remember that no one who matters gives a damn what my average pace is.<\/p>\n

If the cold turkey approach feels too aggressive, an analog activity log is a nice half-measure. When I take my wearable breaks, I jot down workouts in my Hobonichi Weeks journal. I don\u2019t include much detail either \u2014 \u201c30-minute run\u201d or \u201clower body strength\u201d is enough. It doesn\u2019t completely silence my perfectionist brain gremlin, but it is a reminder that Strava kudos and metrics are secondary to showing up for myself.<\/p>\n

Some of you may scoff because pfft, this isn\u2019t a problem you\u2019ve experienced. If that\u2019s you, email me at optimizer@theverge.com<\/a> and teach me your ways. But for everyone else, I highly recommend taking a planned, 48 to 72-hour fitness tracking break every 90 days or so.<\/p>\n

My last break was right after our family fart walk. My sister-in-law\u2019s comment had struck a nerve. The next day, I let my in-laws persuade me into a bike ride even though I\u2019m a public safety hazard when cycling. I can\u2019t tell you how long that bike ride was or how far we went. I can tell you I enjoyed myself. I got zero credit for it.<\/p>\n

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